Artist of the American West

"What I have learned from today, I will use to create with tomorrow."

After 28 years as an impressionist artist, and as I get older; the more I work, the more I realize what I don’t know. Learning color values, the six shades of light and how to compose a composition on canvas is without a doubt a life long learning process. The technical aspect of painting has been and always will be a road that has no end. Developing my knowledge to satisfy myself when working on a canvas and how I handle color and value continues even today. From an intellectual point of view I have studied many works of the masters trying to gleam some knowledge in how the painting was executed… Their use of color and color harmonies, the application of paint and the brush work, not to mention the compositions and their use of light and dark when painting a piece of art. One can go on and on dissecting a work of art but then you enter the realm of creativity. Over the years I feel and believe that creativity must be allowed to expand and be nurtured by your own creative spirit. Learning to listen to that inner voice can be rewarding and separates me as an artist from someone who just paints pretty pictures.

As a landscape painter I spend as much time as possible painting on location. Painting under nature’s conditions and all that she has to offer. I find it rewarding, challenging and gain an inner peace - which so many people seek and strive to find in their lifetime. When I paint plein aire’ my creative passion and brush flows like a river. When I work in my studio it then becomes a labor of love as opposed to being out in nature and her surroundings.

I also have wanted to paint abstracts for many years but considered myself unqualified and didn’t have the knowledge one needs to create an abstracted painting, with all the guts of art and knowledge it required. I’ve painted wildlife for many years, so throwing caution to the wind, I started painting abstracted wildlife. Still maintaining a strong and balanced composition, I chose to keep the focal point (the animal) totally recognizable. So I abstract the color and brushwork to what I felt was a artistic statement showing my use of color, composition and the ability to create a work of art that was stimulating to the viewer and myself